ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- As hard as the Tampa Bay Rays worked to get above .500 with a summer surge, they've now dropped four of five games, including a frustrating 6-5 loss to the Miami Marlins on Friday night.
Tampa Bay (49-48) saw their bullpen give up five runs in the seventh inning, committing two errors on one play, then saw a ninth-inning surge cut a 6-1 deficit to 6-5 with two runners on before the final out.
"Too little, too late," Rays manager Kevin Cash said of his team's late rally, saying they looked "like a team that had four days off" until the final inning, thanks to the All-Star break.